Master of Starlight Debuts

The novella's protagonist is Olivier, a 56-year-old astronomer living in self-imposed exile at the Porte d'Etoile Hotel in Morocco's Tinfu Dunes. His banishment from the academic world stems from his unconventional theories regarding the potential sentience of stars. This central theme of cosmic mystery is interwoven with what one reviewer called a "lyrical love letter to the night sky." The plot is set in motion by the arrival of Olivier's old friend and academic rival, Fritz Konigsmann, and Vera Durer, the unrequited love of Olivier's life. Their reunion leads to a journey deep into the Sahara, a trip fraught with dangers including scorpions and the threat of kidnapping by desert rebels. The narrative balances these external threats with the internal turmoil of past grievances and the potential for either reconciliation or revenge. Author DW Ardern is a Brooklyn-based fiction writer, humorist, and screenwriter. He is also the founding editor of EXCERPT, a literary and arts magazine that champions emerging novelists and writing from independent presses. His own work has been supported by the Bread Loaf Writers Conference and Tin House Summer Workshop. "Master of Starlight" is published by Stalking Horse Press, a Santa Fe-based independent publisher founded by writer James Reich. The press specializes in "spiky, angular, errant" work that engages with the world, providing a home for writing that may not fit within mainstream literary publishing. Stalking Horse Press looks for "experimental tendencies, novels that think, lines that ignite, and writers not storytellers."